Detour
by coonskin
Summary: Bonnie unwillingly has to take a several-day road trip with Michael and unexpectedly along the way finds herself going through a complete case by his side. Set in the first season.
1. Chapter 1

"No!" Bonnie said. "Out of the question. Forget about it, Devon."

Her boss looked up at her from behind his desk with just perhaps a bit of humor hiding behind his civilized, patient front. "It's the perfect solution, Bonnie. You need to get cross country to your reunion, but your car is out of commission and is going to need a complete rebuild of the transmission. All spare Foundation vehicles are in use at the moment. Michael also needs to get cross country to a location only 100 miles from yours. You refuse to fly. Therefore, the logical explanation is for you to ride along with him."

Bonnie cringed and wondered again just how much she valued enforcing the warranty at the car dealership. The tow truck had only left the Foundation a few minutes ago; she could still call it back. She could repair her car herself from its early transmission demise, but that would take time, time that she didn't have to spare and still make her class reunion, and the car was far too low mileage for that to be needed anyway. No, the dealership _was_ going to fix her car, free.

"I could rent a car," she insisted. "In fact, I can bill it to the car lot."

Devon's posture stiffened slightly. "I'd take it as a personal favor, Bonnie, if you would do this."

"Why?" She paced a tight circle in Devon's office. "Devon, would _you_ want to drive 1000 miles cross country with him?"

"We are all part of a team," Devon replied, neatly dodging her question. "We will function better as a team the better we get to know each other."

"But why can't we get to know each other at Foundation functions or something? 1000 miles, Devon?"

At that moment, Michael burst into the office behind them. That was how she always thought of it. Brash, bold, and forward, not to mention tall, he always seemed to her to claim a room rather than just enter it, changing the whole atmosphere the second he arrived. "What about 1000 miles?" he asked, overhearing the last comment.

"Bonnie is having some transportation difficulty," Devon replied. "As your next destination is only 100 miles beyond hers and she needs to be there by Monday, she'd appreciate a ride."

"Great!" Michael said with enthusiasm. "KITT and I would love to have her along for the trip." He hit the button on his watch. "KITT, buddy, Bonnie's riding along with us almost all the way to our next stop."

"That will be very pleasant," KITT replied.

"When do we leave?" Michael asked.

Bonnie sighed mentally. She hated this, but she couldn't give an absolute refusal somehow in front of both Michael and Devon, plus the car. "Give me half an hour." She had already been packed already when she had discovered the demise of her car this morning. She just needed to grab a few final things, such as her composure and a good, thick book. Maybe he would let her ignore him for the next few days. Fat chance. With another sigh, she left the office, letting Devon deal with him for a while, and wondered how she was going to survive this trip.

(KR)

Michael backed KITT out of the parked semi, then deliberately spun into a tight 180 to line them up to head out the Foundation drive. Bonnie cringed and broke her own "just ignore him" strategy in the first seconds of their 1000-mile trip. "Do you _have_ to do that?" she snarled.

Michael grinned over at her, looking like a six-foot-four six-year-old kid. "Saves time. Just think, Bonnie, I probably cut ten seconds off our trip there. So you're that much closer to your goal."

She sighed, then wondered how often she would be doing that this weekend on their road trip. She might well break her lifetime record. "You know, KITT's functions are supposed to be used in _emergencies_. You don't have to drive like a maniac all the time."

"And KITT and I do use them in emergencies," Michael returned.

"We really do, Bonnie," KITT put in. "Almost all of our use of capabilities beyond a normal car is directly applied on a case."

"Right." She remained skeptical. The car was programmed to serve Michael, after all, and she had noted already that KITT was growing increasingly defensive at any perceived slight of his driver. Just in months, they had bonded so well. She knew the program specifics - she had designed several of them herself. But still, part of her was surprised at how KITT had taken to his driver. The Knight 2000 was designed to obey and protect Michael, not to like him. The liking had to be voluntary.

Voluntary. KITT more and more blurred the bounds between a computer and a sentient being. She was proud and awestruck at the same time, thinking about this car, her greatest lifetime achievement.

An achievement that the nut beside her routinely abused and brought back damaged. "Take the turbo boost, for instance," she said. "KITT's body is designed to withstand the force, but still, repeated turbo boosting can help contribute to some of the slightly misaligned circuits you bring him back with so often."

KITT answered before Michael could start. "Bonnie, my analysis shows that 96% of the times we apply the turbo boost are not frivolous."

Michael shook his head. "Frivolous. Thanks a lot, buddy."

Bonnie wondered briefly if KITT's calculating circuits might be misaligned, though she had gone over him - and fixed a few things - stem to stern just this morning, spending over an hour on it. Still, she seized on the car's answer. "That leaves 4% that are. What do you have to say about those, Michael?"

He grinned at her again, unrepentant. "KITT likes to turbo boost."

"It is most exhilarating, Bonnie," KITT confirmed.

She sighed. Again.

(KR)

She had to admit later, that first leg of their trip wasn't quite as bad as her worst fears. They had left the Foundation at mid morning, and they made good but not crazy or reckless time. Michael didn't insist on listening to obnoxious music. He did insist on an order that almost gave her sympathy indigestion when they stopped for lunch, and to her annoyance, he caught her look and blatantly, with extra relish, enjoyed his meal in front of her.

But he wasn't as bad a conversationalist as she had anticipated, and KITT was a regular third participant. The book on her lap hadn't yet been opened by the time that the sun was starting its dip toward the horizon. Of all unexpected things, they were currently discussing pets. Michael had asked if she had any when she was growing up, and that led into a joint reminisce of their animal companions when they were kids. She was actually smiling, remembering those days of childhood, which she hadn't spent time mentally revisiting in ages. Work consumed so much of her life these days.

Michael was speaking at the moment. "Then Mom and I had a Labrador-something cross that wandered up when I was 12. Mom used to joke about which one of us ate more."

KITT interrupted. "Michael, my scanners detect screams up ahead. A Jeep appears to have lost its brakes. There are a woman and a child within it."

Michael slammed the gas pedal down, pushing the pursuit button. "Let's _go_, pal," he urged.

Bonnie sat watching tensely at first as they shot down the road. Gradually, she began to relax at least partially. For the first time, she started to realize just how good of a driver the man in the left seat was in spite of his showiness. She knew that KITT provided some assistance as needed with maneuvering at pursuit speeds, but even so, Michael was handling this run far better than she would have - and furthermore, far better than techs back at Knight Industries had during development and testing. Michael's expression fascinated her. He had come alive. An odd way to think of it, because he normally was so alive already, even annoyingly so. He was never dull to be around. But now, his eyes were intent, focused, and there was a burning drive and purpose to him that she didn't usually see during her lectures to him in the semi.

They rounded a curve, and the Jeep came into view ahead. KITT was closing the ground between like a rocket. Bonnie could make out the forms of the terrified woman driving, fiercely battling the wheel, and the child, about six or seven, frozen into immobility in the rear seat, clinging desperately to the frame bars.

"We should be close enough to microjam their brakes now," Michael said.

"We are," KITT replied, "but my analysis indicates severely worn front tires, especially the right. I am afraid under the stress of a microjam, a tire would blow, and I doubt the driver has the strength to deal with that at this speed, resulting in a rollover. She appears to be quite petite."

"So we go to plan B," Michael said, not missing a beat. "Pop the sunroof."

"What?" Bonnie wasn't sure she'd heard that right. KITT popped the sunroof, and Michael punched auto cruise, then gripped KITT's frame and hoisted himself out. To Bonnie's amazement, he was soon out on KITT's hood, moving forward with careful balance. KITT accelerated slightly, putting his prow mere inches behind the Jeep's bumper.

Bonnie regained speech. "Does he do this often?" she asked incredulously.

"Quite regularly," KITT responded, his tone disapproving. "But I must say, he never does it frivolously."

Bonnie could believe that. Anyone doing this for thrills would have to be suicidal. She wouldn't try it herself for a million dollars, not even partnered with KITT, not even at merely 10 miles an hour, much less their current speed. Michael edged forward and gripped the back of the Jeep, then vaulted lightly in. He worked his way to the front past the stunned child, then held the wheel as the small woman released the controls, willingly accepting any help right now without question, even that appearing magically at her elbow. She slid into the passenger's front, and Bonnie saw Michael raise his left wrist as he settled into the driver's seat. "Now, KITT," he commanded.

KITT's display lit up, and the microjam came on. The Jeep slewed, and then, as predicted, the right front tire blew. For a moment, Bonnie thought they were going to flip, but Michael wrestled the wheel with both hands, defiantly refusing to let control be lost. After a wild and crazy course that KITT followed like an obedient but concerned dog, the Jeep finally came to a stop.

Bonnie let out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding. She opened KITT's door and got out, and as she approached the Jeep, she heard Michael turn to the petite woman next to him. "I'm Michael Knight," he said as if introducing himself at any social function.

The woman shook her head. "I think you must be an angel from heaven," she countered, and Bonnie, hearing the remark, couldn't even frame a mental sarcastic reply at this moment.

"Are you all right?" she said, coming up beside the Jeep.

The little girl in the back was starting to come back to life. "Where did you come from?" she asked Michael. "What happened?"

Michael got out himself, looking accusingly at the Jeep. "That," he said, "is what we're about to find out."


	2. Chapter 2

The bedroom door opened, and Mary Scott stepped out, closing it carefully behind her. "Candy's got her favorite movie going," she said as she came across to the dining room table to join Michael and Bonnie. "Hopefully that will keep her occupied for a bit."

Michael jumped into the so-far-taboo subject with both feet. "Who would have cut the brake lines on your Jeep?"

She sighed and dropped into a chair, looking suddenly as small as she was. She had obviously been trying to keep up a front for Candy, as had all of them. This topic was rated far above those approved for six-year-olds. "It's a long story."

"We have time," Michael replied easily. Bonnie fleetingly thought not only of her reunion starting Monday but of his own mission waiting for him. Devon wouldn't take it well if Michael were late. On the other hand, she was as concerned as Michael was. Neither of them had missed the fact that Mary's answer to his question was obviously not "I have no idea."

"Just start at the beginning," Bonnie urged soothingly.

Mary looked toward the kitchen. This was a fairly nice house, especially for just a mother and child; Bonnie had already been trying to match it up with a Jeep that had badly needed tires even before the greater need of brake fluid had hit. "Would you like a cup of hot tea?" the little woman asked. "It'll be time to eat in a little bit. I could cook us all something."

Bonnie started to reassure her that that wasn't necessary, but Michael cut her off. "We'll take a pass on the meal, but we'd love a cup of hot tea."

Mary pushed the chair back from the table, getting up briskly. "I'll be right back."

Michael caught Bonnie's dubious look as Mary left the room. "She needs it herself," he said softly. "Besides, she'll feel better talking to us after she does something for us, even if it's just making a cup of tea."

"I know," Bonnie said. "I was just wondering the last time you had a cup of hot tea. Somehow, that doesn't seem like your style."

"Actually, I kind of like it," he shot back. His tone went wistful. "Mom used to make us each a cup, and we'd sit around the table in the mornings before school and just talk."

Bonnie was surprised, and he took it incorrectly as disbelief. "That's true. Ask KITT; I've mentioned it to him before."

"I wasn't doubting you. Just surprised, that's all." She dropped her voice a little further. "Michael, I agree there's something going on here, but don't forget we're on a schedule."

"I know. Don't worry; you won't miss your reunion."

"I was actually thinking more of your next assignment. This is a recreational trip for me; it isn't for you."

"Neither one of us is due there before Monday," he shot back. "This is Friday evening, and we've made pretty good time so far. About 600 miles to go for you, 700 for me. We can wedge in a day or two here to check things out. As long as we leave by Sunday evening at the latest, KITT can drive through the night to make up time. We'll just sleep in the car. He's a pretty good motel room."

Just then, Mary returned with a tray and three steaming cups. She passed the cups around, offered sugar (Bonnie declined; Michael, as she anticipated, took quite a bit), and then took a deep breath. "My husband died in a car accident three months ago," she started.

"I'm so sorry," Bonnie murmured.

"But -" Mary looked around. "It didn't make sense. You may call me crazy, but I _know_ something was wrong with that accident." She looked from one to the other, then went on, reassured that neither of her audience was calling her crazy yet. "The police said that he had been drinking and driving. And his blood alcohol level was way high. But he never got drunk. Not once in the ten years we were married. He'd have a beer here and there just socially; that was all. I just can't believe it."

"Did your husband have any enemies?" Michael asked.

"Until three months ago, I would have said no. Everybody liked him. He was never the life of the party type, but he was totally honest and reliable. The people at his company have even tried to help me with the life insurance - the insurance company is stalling on paying that because of the DUI."

"What was his job?"

"He was head of security at Computech. That's the biggest company in town. They make computer parts." Michael and Bonnie looked at each other, filling in various possibilities for illicit activities related to a company that made computer parts. "We've been trying to fight for the life insurance, but meanwhile, I had to sell my car and downgrade to an older Jeep just to get something to help out with expenses. His car was totaled in the accident, of course."

"Did you have a job yourself, or did you stay at home with Candy?" Bonnie asked.

"I didn't really have a job before, but -" Mary buried her face in her hands, and Bonnie slid her chair over to put an arm around her. "I'm an artist," Mary said after a minute. "I paint. And I always hoped, dreamed, that someday people would actually want to buy it. Rick always encouraged me on that, said that I'd wind up being famous. Not that I wanted to be famous; I just wanted to - to give something to the world. Something that would help people, maybe cheer them up. But I haven't really been able to paint since the accident. I just keep going over things in my mind, trying to work it out. Then last week, there was a job that came open at the local bar part-time, and I applied for that. I thought -" She trailed off.

Michael filled in the blank. "You thought you'd snoop around on the side and maybe find out more about the night that your husband was allegedly drinking before he got killed."

"Exactly," she said. "I was trying to be subtle. At least I thought I was. But then today -" She shivered in memory. "You said that brake line was actually cut. It didn't just fail. They could have _killed_ Candy. They didn't even care about a six-year-old girl! Who would do things like that? What's going on?"

"I don't know," Michael said, "but I promise you, I'll help you find out." He reached across the table, and she took his hand and squeezed it.

(KR)

Michael and Bonnie walked toward the lobby of the local motel. Just as they approached the door, a man standing outside lit up a cigarette, and oddly, Michael seemed to flinch. He recovered so quickly that Bonnie wondered if she had imagined it. They entered the lobby. "We'd like two rooms, hopefully next to each other," he said.

The bored-looking young woman behind the desk reluctantly put away her magazine and looked up, then came to life, studying Michael. "Well, sure, cowboy. _Two_ rooms, you said?"

"That's right." Michael pulled out his Foundation credit card.

"You're a stranger in town. Going to be here long?"

"Not really. Couple of days, maybe. We're just passing through." She took the credit card and ran it. "You don't see a lot of strangers in town?" Michael asked.

"Not too many." She returned the card and took out two room keys. "18 and 19. Right down there to the left."

"Thank you," Michael said, rewarding her with a smile. He turned and left, and Bonnie followed, wondering if that clerk could have described her at all. She had only been looking at Michael the whole time.

They found the two rooms, and Michael extended both keys. "Here, your choice. That will help satisfy your control issues."

"I don't _have_ control issues," Bonnie snarled. She snatched key 18 from him, and Michael annoyed her by not even being ruffled at her comment. With a smile, he punched the button on his watch.

"Come over here, KITT," he said. The black car unparked himself from in front of the office and drove down the row, slipping into a spot right in front of them. "Thanks, pal. Pop the trunk." KITT obeyed, and they retrieved their luggage. "After we get settled in, I'm going to go down to the local bar and nose around a little," Michael said. "First, though, we have one unpleasant chore to take care of."

"Calling Devon," Bonnie filled in easily.

"Right." He sighed, then set his duffle bag down on the pavement and got in. "Might as well get it over with. Would you tell him, Bonnie? He won't believe me that we just fell into this."

Bonnie smiled herself at his reluctance. "Michael, you really _did_ just fall into things this time. He'll believe you when it's a true story."

"How would you know?" he demanded. "You're usually on the other end disbelieving me right along with him."

"But that's when -" Bonnie skidded to a verbal halt, starting to think through that.

"Exactly. You don't have all the details those times, just like Devon doesn't now, but you still don't believe me when I call. KITT, tell her how often this happens to us."

"Remarkably regularly, Bonnie," KITT replied. "It defies all odds. Michael does somehow seem to be a magnet for people in distress, which I have never managed to satisfactorily explain, but it is quite common for us to encounter new cases and new assignments while his actions were perfectly innocent."

"Thanks, buddy." Michael gave KITT's wheel a pat. "Okay, call Devon."

The screen lit up after a few moments. "Michael. Good evening. How is your trip going with Bonnie?"

"Fine so far, but, um, Bonnie has something to tell you."

Devon's expression changed with lightning speed. "You got _sidetracked_, as you so frequently put it. May I remind you, Michael, that you have a mission waiting? I was hoping that Bonnie would ensure that the trip went without complications."

Bonnie chimed in. "Devon, this really wasn't his fault."

"It never is," their boss stated.

"We were minding our own business, and we just ran into something," Bonnie assured him.

"Which I'm sure involves a pretty woman," Devon added.

Michael was starting to get a little annoyed. "She is a very pretty _widow_ with a six-year-old daughter, and her husband was just killed in an accident three months ago. And somebody tried to kill her _and_ her daughter today. Would have succeeded if it hadn't been for KITT."

"That's true, Devon," Bonnie said. "Somebody did try to kill them, and KITT and Michael saved them. But something is going on, and her husband's accident doesn't sound right, either. Michael is going to look into things for a day or two and see if he can work it out."

"May I remind you of the case waiting for you Monday, not to mention Bonnie's reunion?"

"We can make it," Michael said. "As long as we leave here by Sunday evening at the latest, KITT can drive all night and still get us there Monday."

"Well, as usual, you've made up your mind, and nothing I say could dissuade you. Please try not to inflict too much damage on the town where you are. Are you enjoying the trip, Bonnie?"

Bonnie replayed this last day. "It's not too bad so far, at least up until the point when two people nearly got killed."

"Good. Well, keep me posted." The screen went blank.

Michael sighed, leaning back into his seat. "I hate these calls with him," he muttered under his breath. "Well, at least that's over. Let's get settled in, and then KITT and I are going to start some discreet snooping." He caught her expression. "See, I do actually know the word discreet."

"You know its meaning, at least," KITT put in. "You rarely apply it, but -"

"KITT?" Michael interrupted.

"Yes, Michael. I know."

"Shut up."


	3. Chapter 3

Bonnie walked out of her motel room first thing the next morning, looking around and sizing up the day. The sun was rising on a bright, clear day, though it was a little chilly. KITT was parked just over, in front of Michael's door, and she strolled out to the car, giving him an affectionate pat on the roof. "Good morning, KITT."

"Good morning, Bonnie," KITT replied.

"Is Michael up yet?" She had no idea how late he had been out last night on his snooping (she couldn't apply the word discreet, even just in her thoughts). KITT still hadn't returned by the time she went to bed, and that had been late by her standards.

"Yes, he is. He went out jogging a little while ago."

Bonnie was surprised. She would have expected him to be reluctantly up if he was up, not out on a run. "How much sleep did he get?"

"Not enough," KITT noted disapprovingly. "He rarely does on an assignment; he has trouble shutting his mind off once he is in case mode. He usually catches up on sleep or at least tries to between them. He does try to fit in a run any morning he can, though, even while we are investigating. He says that he spends so much time sitting in me that he doesn't want to get out of shape."

Speaking of sitting in KITT, she opened the door and slid into the driver's seat to continue the conversation. She had to admit that she privately enjoyed the opportunity. Basically all of her usual time with KITT was spent fine-tuning and repairing him. She rarely had a chance to simply sit in the driver's seat and appreciate this incredible car. She had thought fleetingly yesterday when they set out that it would be nice if they could alternate driving duties on the trip, but naturally, that hadn't happened. Michael might not have been as bad to talk to as she expected along the way, but he definitely hadn't made any move toward yielding the controls. So now, she got a small inner thrill out of taking advantage of his absence for some personal time with KITT.

Of course, once she was in, she realized that the seat was way too far back, the pedals in a different zip code than her feet. Michael was so tall. Whenever she was working on the car around the dash, that extra room was appreciated; now, it felt a little awkward. She forced herself not to adjust the seat. KITT would question why she was doing it when they weren't even going anywhere and were simply parked, and she didn't want to admit to the car that part of her was jealous at times of his driver. She rested her feet on the floorboard, not on the unreachable pedals, and looked across the dash.

"How are you doing, KITT?" she asked.

"I am doing very well at the moment," the car replied. "You just finished calibrating everything yesterday morning, and none of our activities so far have necessitated a readjustment. The microjam yesterday was the most active thing that I have done in the last day, and with something only the weight of a Jeep, that isn't a strain on circuits."

Yesterday. She remembered Michael walking out across KITT's hood to meet the Jeep, and she shuddered again. For the first time, she wondered whether _Michael_ might have jostled and misaligned parts at times after missions. If so, he never showed it. "Really, KITT, how often does he do things like that stunt yesterday?" she asked.

"With amazing frequency. That Jeep, like many things, was something we encountered randomly and didn't go searching for, but once he is on a mission, however he got on it, he is absolutely locked in. Even if it's a mission he didn't want, like some of Devon's assignments. He will do all sorts of things that worry me in his pursuit of the truth."

At that precise moment, a section of the dash lit up, and Michael's voice filled the car, startling her. "KITT, I need you."

KITT roared to life almost before the words were completed. "On my way, Michael."

Bonnie shook her head as the car backed out, spun, and hit the road, driving more recklessly on his own than Michael had at any point yesterday. "How can he get in trouble jogging?" she asked.

"Trust me, he can and he has," KITT replied. "Bonnie, you need to move out of the driver's seat."

She stiffened up. She hadn't been making any attempt to handle the car herself so far and wasn't impeding his response; she didn't see what difference it made, and the abrupt request coming on top of her thoughts a moment ago that she never really got to drive him ruffled her. She felt a little like a parent being kicked out of the newly independent adult child's apartment. "Why? You're the one driving; I'm just sitting here."

"Michael will automatically move toward the left when I arrive," KITT answered, "and any delay, even a few seconds, for him to have to adjust course to the other side once he sees you could further complicate his current situation. In addition, once he did move over, the right seat isn't adjusted to his height, and that would slow him down fitting himself in. He never uses those words unless matters are urgent, Bonnie. Never. Please move over." KITT's tone was growing increasingly worried, pleading with her now.

Still a little hurt, she climbed across the center console. At least the driver's seat being so far back left plenty of room for exiting it. Once again, she was just a passenger.

KITT sped through the streets of what allegedly was supposed to be a quiet town. The video screen came to life as he scanned, and Bonnie watched the small pips on the screen. Michael's comlink signal was clear, a green X, but there were two other red X's nearby. The green one moved slightly, but the red ones obviously had it cornered. They closed in. Even just as pips on a screen, this looked sinister, and Bonnie set her own feelings aside.

KITT sped around the last corner and self-applied the turboboost, jumping a high wire fence, and Bonnie heard the gunshots at the same time she felt the jolt of landing. KITT thrust himself forward. They had landed in a storage area, and as he turned down one lane between the closed and locked units, bullets ricocheted off his shell with a display of out-of-season fireworks. Bonnie flinched. She knew as well as anyone that the car was bulletproof, but she couldn't help reacting to that.

"Michael!" KITT stopped across the first side aisle off the main one, and the left door swung open as the car called. Bonnie saw Michael unfold himself from a storage unit doorway he had taken shelter in, and he ran toward them. For just the first few strides, Bonnie thought he was favoring one ankle, but the abnormality disappeared so quickly she wasn't sure if she had imagined it. He tucked himself in KITT as a final shot from the other side hit the window directly next to Bonnie's head. She jumped sharply, and Michael somehow even in this moment grinned at her as he closed the driver's door.

"KITT's bulletproof, Bonnie. Remember?" He gripped the wheel, and KITT smoothly switched from auto to normal cruise without request.

"I know," she tossed back. "Those people were trying to kill you!"

"Yes," Michael agreed. "That's encouraging, isn't it, pal? Confirmation that we're on the right track. I touched a nerve somewhere last night."

"I'd prefer to get confirmation of that in easier ways than an attempt on your life," KITT replied.

Michael hit the accelerator and drove on down the main aisle, then rounded the building, heading back for the exit. "Thanks, KITT. You're right on time as usual."

"I wish you wouldn't put it that way," KITT protested. "What happens the day I'm not?"

"Hasn't happened yet." Michael gave the dash a pat. "Scan the area, partner. Where did those men go?"

"The men have disappeared, but I scan a car leaving the vicinity at a high rate of speed," KITT answered. The video screen lit up, showing the rapidly escaping car along the road.

"Let's go." Michael floored it, and once again, as yesterday with the Jeep, his eyes were intent, his focus absolute. Bonnie watched his expression and wondered if he had fully registered yet through the adrenaline that someone had just tried to shoot him.

"Michael," KITT warned, "there is a train track two blocks ahead of us, and a train is approaching."

"Can they make it?" Michael asked.

"Barely if at all." Bonnie switched her attention from Michael's face to the windshield, and the two of them watched the car whisk across the tracks by a whisker as the train roared down upon it.

"Hmm. We can't beat the train ourselves, but we don't want to let them get away." Michael looked over at Bonnie, and his eyes lit up with fun. "KITT, we don't want to worry Bonnie here. We could turboboost, but she doesn't like it when you do that. On the other hand, we could simply hit it and go through. Can your MBS tolerate a direct strike on the side of a moving train? Which option has the least chance of damage to you?" He hadn't decreased speed at all, and the distance to the train was shortening every second.

"Michael!" Bonnie snapped. "Either stop or hit the turboboost!"

"Are you sure?" The train grew closer. "I'd hate to jostle a circuit and upset you." The moving cars were looming in front of them at this point. "You're absolutely sure we have your permission this time?"

"Use the turboboost! MICHAEL!"

At what Bonnie would swear was beyond the last possible second, he hit the turboboost, and KITT soared neatly into the air, jumping the train. They crunched down to the road on the other side, and Michael was once again pure focus, a bloodhound on the scent. "Which way did they go, KITT?"

"I'm sorry, Michael, but we appear to have lost them," KITT replied. "I allowed myself to become distracted while trying to analyze why you were playing with Bonnie regarding the train, and I failed to maintain a scan on them. I don't know which way they went from here."

Michael growled low under his breath, but he at least did slow down to a normal rate of speed. Bonnie let out a deep breath. "Don't EVER do anything like that again," she told him.

Michael grinned at her. "But you gave us permission to turboboost that time. I was just doing what you told us to."

Bonnie shook her head. "You know good and well what I meant."

He turned KITT around. "Well, since we've lost them, we might as well go get some breakfast. Quite a start to the day, isn't it, KITT?"

Bonnie sank back against the passenger's seat, feeling weak all of a sudden and not from hunger. "Does this happen a lot?" she asked tentatively after a minute.

KITT replied. "I will assume you are talking about the attempt on Michael's life, since I already yesterday gave you the statistics on our use of the turboboost. I calculate that in 38% of our cases, someone at some point tries to kill Michael."

"38%?" Bonnie looked over at him.

"Relax, Bonnie. It does show that we're on the right track, and besides, it's me that people generally try to kill, not KITT, so you don't have to worry."

His tone was still light, but there was perhaps just a shade of seriousness that she heard buried deep under it. Something was there that prompted her to give him a genuine answer instead of a return barb. "I wouldn't want you to get killed either," she said.

His joking expression faded, and he spoke in total sincerity. "Thank you, Bonnie. I appreciate knowing that."

They were silent as they drove back to the motel.


	4. Chapter 4

After breakfast, they headed back over to Mary Scott's. This was Saturday, and Candy was out of school. They all wound up going to the park, and Bonnie sat next to Mary on a bench, fascinated, and watched Michael playing with the 6-year-old. In spite of the size difference, Michael didn't really seem much older than she was at the moment, and they quickly collected another couple of kids. Michael wound up taking on all of them in a complicated game of tag.

Mary sighed, obviously missing her husband all over again, for her daughter's sake even beyond her own. Bonnie slid an arm around her shoulders.

"Is he making any progress at all on finding out what's going on?" Mary asked.

"He's making some." Bonnie had more details from her own interrogation back in Michael's room before going to breakfast. "He's got the names of some people who started at Computech between four and eight months ago."

Mary looked over at her. "Between four and eight months?"

"He's assuming that somebody has infiltrated Computech to try to steal something large, plans or such. On an operation of that scale, they would have to take some time to gain trust, wouldn't just show up and go into action the next day. It also would have taken Rick a little while to get to suspect them, thus a minimum of four months since Rick was killed three months ago. On the other hand, while they would be careful, they wouldn't be dragging their feet too much. So Michael figures eight months ago maximum for when they got here."

Mary was impressed. "He's good. Um, Bonnie, who is he?"

That question would have been so much easier to answer a day ago than it was this morning. "He's - he's one of a kind."

"I can tell," Mary said. "But what does he do? Just go around like the Lone Ranger helping people? And how does he get paid? I already told him I can't pay him anything, and he said it didn't matter."

"The money isn't a problem. He had a very wealthy benefactor who set up a foundation to take care of situations like yours. It's totally non profit."

Michael came back over to them, shedding protesting kids along the way. "Enough! You all have worn me out. Let me take a break for a few minutes." He dropped onto the bench next to the women, and the kids scattered off again. Michael was breathing a little hard and obviously had indeed had a workout at the juvenile gym, but Bonnie noticed that his eyes stayed on Candy, and he sat there like a sentry, watching everything, even as he softly gave Mary an update.

(KR)

After the morning of playing at the park (and exchanging information when safely out of Candy's hearing), they all had lunch together, and then Candy and Mary were delivered back home, and Michael backed KITT out of their driveway, heading for downtown again.

"You need to wrap that left ankle," KITT said promptly, as if he, too, had been holding himself back with difficulty until there was a more appropriate audience.

Michael sighed. "Don't start, KITT."

"Well, you do."

Bonnie again remembered her fleeting impression from that morning that he had been limping briefly. He had seemed fine at the park, though. "Did you hurt it getting away from those men this morning?"

"Just twisted it a little. It will be all right."

"It's definitely somewhat sprained," KITT put in, "and it is more swollen now than it was before you played chase with half the children in the town this morning."

Michael changed the subject firmly. "We can do some more research on Computech for a few hours with KITT. Bonnie can help with that. Then once people start arriving at the bar at mid afternoon, I'm going back over there alone to sound out a few people who weren't around last night."

"And I can't help with that?" Bonnie didn't really want to check out the local bar scene, but the way that he pointedly excluded her from the second part of his planned activities ruffled her feathers a little. "You know, Michael, some people would talk to a woman more easily than to a man."

Michael's lips tightened a little. "I don't really want to make you a target along with me in all of this."

She looked over at him, realizing to her surprise that he was dead serious. He really was concerned about her. "Thank you, Michael. But I have a feeling that everybody in town already knows that I arrived with you anyway. Do you think I'd be safer back at the motel room alone?"

"She has a definite point, Michael," KITT stated.

He sighed. "I want you to promise me something, Bonnie."

She tensed up. "What?"

"If it comes down to it, if I tell you at any point to go get in KITT, do it immediately, without question, and stay there. No matter what. You stay there."

"Michael, I'm not a -" She trailed off as she remembered that someone had already tried to kill him. Someone also had tried to kill not only Mary but Candy yesterday.

"Bonnie, I have a whole lot of training that you don't. These people have killed at least once, and I'm sure it's more than that. They are also still here, probably close to their big scheme coming together at this point, and have tried to kill again. I can deal with parts of this investigation better than you can, especially when it starts getting rough. Please, Bonnie."

She yielded. "All right. I promise."

He relaxed a little. "Thanks."

(KR)

After some computer research with KITT's assistance (and being sure Michael got his ankle wrapped with her assistance), they headed over to the bar. As they entered the large room, somebody at the bar straight in front of them lit a cigarette, and again, Bonnie felt Michael flinch momentarily, falling half a step behind her before he recovered. This time, she was so positive of what had startled him that she couldn't resist teasing him about it. The incongruity made the opening impossible to ignore. "You're afraid of lighters?" she asked, swinging around to face him with a smile. "A great big tough guy like you jumps at a little Bic lighter 20 feet away? Glad to know you have some holes in that macho front after all."

He stared at her for a moment, looking more annoyed than sheepish. Her smile widened; she was enjoying having him off balance for once. "Relax, Michael. I won't tell anybody. Your secret is safe with me. You can go on defending the world against everything except lighters; we'll just get someone else to handle any criminals armed with those."

He started to turn away, then stopped, wheeling back toward her abruptly and closing the distance. He spoke very softly but intensely. "Bonnie, have you ever been shot point blank in the face?"

Her smile vanished as the puzzle pieces clicked into place. He continued. "Well, I have. Let me tell you what it's like. First, you're looking straight down the barrel. You can see the darkness of it, the hollow, and it looks ten times bigger than it is, and you know what's waiting at the other end as you try to talk her out of it. Then she pulls the trigger, and you can see the muzzle flash. That bullet comes out with a wave of orange fire all around it, and you have just a split second to be sure that you're about to die, because there isn't even time to dodge. Then it hits, and the whole world goes orange before it fades into black. That flash of fire as the bullet races toward you, that's the very last thing you see. The last thing you ever expect to see. I have seen it, Bonnie, and it hasn't even been a year yet. So yes, if a match or a lighter goes off when I didn't realize it was about to be lit and catches me by surprise, it will remind me, and just for a second, I have to tell myself that I'm safe here instead of back out in the desert dying. You may think that's hilarious, but I don't."

He finally ran down, and Bonnie, speechless at her own blindness, tried to frame an adequate apology. While she was still searching for words, his comlink beeped twice. He lifted his wrist, obviously glad at the interruption. "Yeah, KITT. What is it?"

"Are you all right?" The concern in the AI's voice was unmistakable. "I detect no threats in the room, but your vital signs have jumped sharply in the last minute."

Michael took a deep breath. "I'm fine, KITT."

"Do you require assistance? If you need me, my analysis indicates fastest arrival combined with the least structural damage to the building if I come in through the front window."

Michael looked over at it and gave a weak grin, some of his painful tension beginning to release. "No, that's all right, KITT. Thanks for the offer, though. Good to know you have my back."

"I always do," KITT replied.

"I know it. Thanks, buddy." Michael dropped his arm and turned away, and Bonnie caught at his sleeve.

"I'm sorry, Michael," she said. "I hadn't even put that together. If I had to go through what you have in the last several months, I'm sure I would have been a basket case by now. You've handled it so well that I tend to forget all about it, even though I know I shouldn't."

He was still tense, but he gave her a nod. "Apology accepted. Now, let's try to get some information."


	5. Chapter 5

The next couple of hours in the bar were annoying and enlightening all at once. Bonnie had never been a fan of bars. She always had needed time to get to know people, and she also preferred people with similar interests. This wild hodge-podge cross-section of society, heavy on the noise and with at least a third of them having too much alcohol as the evening progressed, grated on her senses.

Furthermore, trying to gently question people without being obvious at it was a lot harder than she had expected. The three results she seemed to meet consistently were to have people simply break off the conversation, have them ask why she was asking so many questions, or have them misunderstand and try to pick her up.

And then there was Michael. He looked so at ease in this environment, as if he had been born socializing with random strangers and truly was enjoying himself, that it took a good bit of effort on her part to remind herself that he was working. Women, of course, but also, to her surprise, men seemed to fall readily into conversation with him. He also seemed to have a talent for nursing a drink out to an unbelievable extent without being obvious about it. Bonnie herself drew a lot more pointed comments and urging regarding her rate of consumption.

After two hours, she had simply had enough of this. She wasn't getting anywhere on the investigation; she might as well go out and do computer research in KITT, a task far more likely to yield results. She caught Michael's eye - he had, she noticed, kept tabs on her quite closely all evening, never crowding her but always aware - and jerked her head slightly. With that maddening casual, social purpose he seemed to excel at, he drifted her direction, doing it so unobtrusively that the current person he was talking to was unaware. Michael finally excused himself and headed for the back hall to the bathrooms, tilting his own head in turn as he broke off from the woman he was talking to, and he and Bonnie rendezvoused neatly in the hall a minute later.

"I'm not having much luck," she admitted, "and I've had enough of this. Are you making any progress?"

"Some," he said. "I don't want you going back to the motel alone, though, especially after being here tonight."

"I'm just going out to KITT. I think I'm more use there than here." He hesitated, looking from her back to the crowd. "Michael, I'll be perfectly safe with KITT, and you know it. Keep asking questions if you're getting somewhere. I just didn't want you to wonder when I disappeared."

He nodded but drifted toward the front of the bar, and she could feel his eyes following her as she walked out across the parking lot. She opened the passenger's door of KITT, not trying to claim the driver's seat tonight, and settled into the comfortable plush with a sigh.

"Did you have any luck, Bonnie?" KITT asked.

She closed the door and saw Michael turn away from the front window, melting back into the crowd. "Not really. How is it possible for a group of people to be so irritating?"

"I have often wondered that myself," KITT replied. "Michael finds bars quite informative, a big cluster on any town's grapevine, as he puts it. But I must admit, waiting out in parking lots along with _these_ types of vehicles is at best demeaning. At worst, I find myself either a prop for someone's shaky balance or a witness to all sorts of relationship drama."

Bonnie grinned. KITT's put-upon tone paradoxically was soothing off some of her own rough edges. "I decided I'm more use out here with you."

At that moment, the sat phone dinged. "Devon's calling," KITT announced.

The video screen came to life. "Bonnie! How are things going? Where is Michael?"

"He's - busy getting information right now." She didn't specify where, but her slight hesitation allowed Devon effortlessly to fill in the gap.

"Probably socializing with the local women at some bar." Devon sighed. "And I'm sure I'll see it listed in detail on his expense report."

"He _is_ really working, Devon," Bonnie said.

Devon sighed again. "Is this unassigned case he's decided to take on any closer to completion?"

"He's got a theory, so yes, I'd say he's getting somewhere. Still has to prove it."

"As long as he proves it by tomorrow evening at the latest," Devon reminded her. "He has other commitments elsewhere. So do you, and don't let him forget it."

"We hope to have things straightened out by then," Bonnie said, although she had a strong feeling that Michael wouldn't leave this town tomorrow night if everything wasn't yet wrapped up neatly, no matter what Devon thought.

"Just try to keep him under some form of control," Devon told her. "I'll check in tomorrow again." The screen went blank. Bonnie sat there for a few moments staring at it in silence.

"KITT," she said finally, "do I ever sound like that on calls when you two are in the field?"

"Not quite to the extent that Devon does, but frequently, yes," the car replied.

She squirmed a bit, then shoved off the guilt. It was an unfamiliar sensation, and it also right now was simply a waste of time. "Let's get to work, KITT."


	6. Chapter 6

The driver's side door opened, and Bonnie jerked into startled awareness. She had dropped off to sleep in KITT. Now Michael grinned at her as he folded himself into the driver's seat. "Napping on the job, Bonnie?"

Like most people when caught sleeping, even if it was understandable given the hour, she felt a little guilty at her lapse. His teasing didn't help much. "Michael, it's…" She looked at her watch. "It's 1:30 a.m. Most of the respectable world is sleeping."

He waved a hand around the bar parking lot. "Plenty of people still here."

"I said the _respectable_ world. Almost everybody here is automatically disqualified." She fought back a yawn. "Furthermore, I'm not technically working. You are, but I'm not."

"Devon would probably disagree with you, at least as far as I'm concerned."

"Did you accomplish anything in there?" she asked, wondering how his questioning of people had gone.

That annoying grin returned. "Definitely. You are looking at the new darts champion of this county; they had the finals for a monthly $500 jackpot tonight. It wasn't even close."

"Michael!" Bonnie shook her head, unable to believe now that she had been defending him to Devon a few hours ago.

"Never could resist a good game of darts. You ought to try it sometime, Bonnie; learning a game would do you good. You need to loosen up a little."

Bonnie scrambled for an appropriate comeback, and KITT broke into this conversation before she could frame it. "And yet, Michael, I don't detect that your wallet is any thicker than it was when you went in."

Michael rolled his eyes. "You know, KITT, you don't have to scan me all the time."

"Yes, I do," the car replied. "Your well-being is my highest priority according to my programming, and given the number of times you try to conceal injuries even from me, I have to resort to scanning to maintain an accurate assessment of your current needs."

Bonnie sighed. "So you spent half the evening playing darts, won $500, and then lost all of it? How do you blow $500 that quickly? Even for you, that would take talent."

Michael's smile vanished, and he started the car and pulled out. "You know who was a close second in the monthly darts jackpot three months ago? Rick Scott. He played all the time, and most of those guys tonight knew him well."

Her thoughts returned to the case in a rush. "So you _were_ gathering information?"

"Yes. I was actually working." That was said totally seriously. "Bonnie, the best way to get information out of people at a bar is to lighten up and just slip into their crowd. Don't question, just let them talk and gently steer now and then."

All at once, their route registered. "We aren't going back to the motel?"

"No, I'm going to drive by Mary Scott's first. Just want to make sure everything is quiet."

"Michael, what did you spend the $500 on?" KITT asked.

He concentrated on the road intently for the next minute, then finally spoke. "I gave it to Ed. He owns Reliable Eddie's, the garage where the Jeep was towed. That ought to cover fixing the brake line, plus get at least a good used even if not new set of tires all around."

Bonnie felt slightly dizzy; this conversation had more twists and turns than their route through the sleeping town. "That was very thoughtful, Michael, but she's already worried that she can't pay you for looking into things. This will probably just make her feel more guilty."

"Nope, because she isn't going to know I did it. Ed's just going to tell her the guys down at the bar took up a collection. Which isn't technically a lie; he won't tell her how many people contributed to it. If she does eventually find out, things will be cleared up by then, and she should have the life insurance money, so she can make a nice nonprofit donation to the Foundation to pay us back. Tax deductible, even. It's a win-win situation for her."

Bonnie couldn't fault that logic, although the hour was so late she wasn't sure how clearly she was thinking. "How do you know Ed wasn't involved in Rick's death?"

Michael shook his head. "Not a chance. You wouldn't like him, and neither would Devon, but he's totally honest. As much as anybody is, anyway."

"And how can you be sure of that?"

"Bonnie, I've caught and arrested more criminals than you've ever read about in the papers. He isn't one." He turned onto Mary's street and slowed KITT down. "Scan the area, buddy."

"Everything is quiet, Michael. I also have, as you requested, been monitoring the police frequencies all night. There have been no disturbances in this side of town at all."

Michael brought KITT to nearly a crawl as he looked at the darkened house. "Are they asleep?" he asked.

"Both Mary and Candy are in their bedrooms asleep. Scanning all the neighboring houses show all occupants of them asleep as well. There are no suspicious occupied cars. Nothing is happening at the moment, Michael."

Michael let out a deep breath. All at once, like the air going out of a balloon, he looked absolutely exhausted, and his long body sagged into the car seat. "You need to rest," KITT prompted gently.

"Yeah. For the rest of tonight, anyway. We've got to crack this case tomorrow, though." He leaned back, releasing the wheel. "Take over, KITT. Let's go back to the motel."

KITT switched smoothly into auto cruise and turned at the next corner. Michael's eyes were already shut, but he spoke again. "Stay in surveillance mode tonight. Keep monitoring police frequencies. If there is anything, anything at all, from this neighborhood, call me. And of course, keep an eye out around our rooms at the motel."

"I will," KITT promised. Michael smiled and reached out a hand, eyes still closed, and gave KITT a pat on the dash. He was asleep within a minute after that, and Bonnie sat quietly in the passenger's seat, watching the silent roads go by out the window.


	7. Chapter 7

Bonnie opened the door of her motel room and exited. She felt a little ragged; the pace of the last few days was getting to her. She wondered how Michael must feel. He had seemed near dead on his feet by the end last night - or she guessed it had been technically this morning. She had asked for a wake-up call herself, intending to check in with KITT, but she hoped that Michael was sleeping in a little. He could use the recharge, and he definitely didn't need to be going jogging this morning, not on his twisted ankle.

She walked down to the car and opened the passenger's door. Just in case people were watching, she didn't want to be seen holding a conversation with a car in the motel parking lot. "Good morning, KITT," she said, settling in.

"Good morning, Bonnie."

"Is Michael awake yet?"

"Yes, he is."

"He didn't go jogging, did he? Not on that ankle."

"No," KITT replied. "I intended to try to stop him if he did, but he does show some common sense. Less regarding himself than he does regarding other people, but still, it's some. Normally, he does try to modify his activities as much as he can when he is hurt, as long as he isn't pushed on it. He hates being pushed on just about anything."

She grinned. "I have noticed that a few times. So what is he doing if he's awake already?"

"We did an hour of research on the case, making progress, and then he went in to take a shower and then to call Mary Scott and check on her once it wasn't too early."

She shook her head. He had already done an hour of computer research? The man apparently slept as fast as he liked to drive. She stifled a yawn herself. "KITT, are all of your cases like this?"

"This one has been fairly typical so far," the car replied. "Many of them get worse. Other than the runaway Jeep and then the episode yesterday morning with the two men trying to shoot him, this case has mainly consisted of merely talking. Of course, we have not yet reached the climax of this one. He is hoping to resolve it today."

"I know." She looked at the closed motel room door. "What's he doing now?"

"He left the shower five minutes ago, and he is currently on the phone. Correction, he is hanging up the phone."

"Thanks." She opened the door and stood up, giving KITT's roof a pat as she closed it again. She walked up to the motel room and knocked. "Michael?"

"Come in," he called. She opened the door and walked in. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, still studying the phone he had just hung up.

"How's Mary?" she asked. "KITT told me you were calling her."

"She's fine but worried. Still shaken up over the Jeep on Friday."

"Can't blame her for that."

"No," he agreed. "She also knows that I'm supposed to be leaving by tonight, and that has her rattled. I told her we'd wrap things up by then, but she'll feel better with some tangible arrests. It's hard to come to grips with it the first time you're faced with the fact that there are people out there who tried to kill you."

He was still sitting down, and Bonnie picked up the loosely rerolled Ace bandage from the nightstand and knelt at his feet. He tensed up as she reached for his left ankle, as much in dislike as in pain, she thought. As KITT had said, he hated being pushed on anything. She pulled his sock off and studied the ankle. It was still swollen, obviously offended, but it looked a little better than yesterday. To distract him, she asked the first question that came to mind as she started rewrapping it. "Do you ever get used to it?"

"Get used to what?" he asked. She at least did succeed in drawing his attention away from her current task, and his leg muscles relaxed a little.

"People trying to kill you." She remembered the scene at the storage unit he had been cornered in yesterday morning. She couldn't imagine accepting things like that as part of a day on the job.

He debated for a moment, but he did finally give her an answer instead of a dodging joke. "In a way. You can't ever let yourself get too used to it. Got to keep your instincts sharp, to remember that the enemy is out there. If you ever forget that, you're asking for trouble. But you can't be afraid of it; that cuts down your reflexes. Steals the joy out of life, too. You have to remember, even seeing this much of the bad in life, that there are more good people out there."

She finished with his ankle, pinned the Ace, and put his sock back on over it. "That's a remarkable way to look at it."

He shook his head. "That's the only way to look at it. The only way you can without giving them the victory." He stood up. "Ready for breakfast? We need to have a good one. This is probably going to be a pretty intense day."

Bonnie nodded. "Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

They had breakfast at a local diner, and as they were heading back across the parking lot and had just reached KITT, a police car pulled into a blank slot several spaces down, and the officer slowly got out, his eyes zoning in on Michael immediately. Michael sighed. "Great," he mumbled under his breath. "I was just thinking this morning that at least the police hadn't questioned me yet."

"Yet?" Bonnie looked from him to the squad car. "Does that happen a lot, too?"

KITT replied. "My percentage calculator indicates that the local police are suspicious of Michael at some point on 56% of our assignments. He is actually arrested on -"

"KITT," Michael growled.

"I know," the car replied meekly.

"Shut up."

The policeman sauntered over to them, trying to look authoritative. "Wonder which movie he's imitating?" Michael whispered to Bonnie, and she fought to hide her laugh.

"Knight. I'm Sheriff Benson." The man stopped square in front of Michael, ignoring Bonnie. He squared his shoulders and then realized obviously that trying to look Michael eye to eye was difficult due to being about six inches shorter. He probably weighed more, but the distribution of it was quite off; the sheriff had a middle-aged paunch fighting to escape from the influence of his belt.

"Good to meet you, Sheriff," Michael replied pleasantly.

"What exactly are you doing in this town?" the sheriff demanded.

"Just passing through," Michael said.

The sheriff shook his head. "I've looked you up, Knight. Up until several months ago, you didn't even exist. You've still got an almost blank slate on any police database."

"Is not committing any crimes a crime?" Michael asked.

"No, but plenty else is. And those databases have a lot more in them than criminal record. The average citizen has a page ten times as long as yours." The sheriff pulled himself up to his full height, such as it was. "Listen, Knight. Whatever you're up to in this town, just be aware that I'm watching you. And I know you've been asking some questions. You're good at hiding what you're after, but I'm good at sniffing it out. And I'm telling you, I worked Rick Scott's accident myself. Open and shut case. He was driving drunk; he was three times over the limit."

"And was that typical for him?" Michael asked.

For the first time, the awareness of the image faded. That question wasn't on the prepared script. "No, actually, it wasn't. I'd never seen him drunk before. But anybody can have a first time, and blood tests don't lie." The sheriff recollected himself and returned to his prepared speech. "Just know that I'm watching you. And I'd strongly suggest that you head on out of town. There's nothing to see here." Rehearsed warning delivered, he turned on his heel and marched back to his car.

Bonnie walked around KITT as Michael got into the driver's seat. "I wonder if he even saw me," she said. Being dismissed as inconsequential bothered her on one level.

Michael smiled at her. "You're a great member of the team, Bonnie. But out here, this isn't your field. He recognized that even without thinking about it. It isn't that he thinks you aren't a person, but he didn't need to warn you."

She started to get annoyed all over again at Michael, not at the sheriff, for also classifying her in a corner instead of on the main playing field at the moment, but then she paused, reviewing the last few days. The runaway Jeep and Michael walking out across KITT's hood to it. The two men trying to shoot him yesterday. The sprained ankle that he hid so routinely with such practiced skill that she wondered now just how often he had to conceal injuries. Even the information scouting in the bar last night, where he had fit right in and she had stuck out like a sore thumb.

No, this wasn't her field. She was as out of place doing this as he would have been adjusting KITT's microprocessors. If the sheriff silently and Michael flat out recognized that, they were only seeing the truth.

Michael started KITT and backed out of the parking space. "We'll head to Mary's first, then on to Computech. Sunday's probably a good day to break in."

Bonnie jumped. "Michael!"

He grinned. "Would you prefer me to call it information gathering? Whatever is at the center of this is there. I've got suspicions who is involved at this point, but we're going to have to get some hard proof of a crime in process to be able to go after them legally."

"Do you think the sheriff is involved, Michael?" KITT asked.

"No, I don't. He's not the sharpest crayon in the box, but he's basically honest."

Bonnie shook her head. "How can you classify people as honest or not in just a minute like that? Most people are a mix."

"In small things, most people are a mix. In large things, people are basically honest or not, Bonnie, and a lot of times, a minute is all you get to decide who you're going to trust. Life doesn't stop for a thorough computer scan to help you make your decisions."

Feeling again like she ought to be slighted at that statement, she was silent on the rest of the short drive. Michael pulled into Mary's driveway, and they got out. He waited for her to round the car, and they walked up the path to the door together, where he rang the doorbell, then stood back to wait.

Nothing. Mary didn't come to the door. All at once, Michael was fully alert. "Something's wrong," he said.

"It hasn't been long; maybe she's in the bathroom," Bonnie suggested, but she was looking around now. She was starting to trust his instincts more.

Michael shook his head. "Something's wrong." He reached forward to the doorknob, then paused. "Go back to KITT, Bonnie." She started to protest, then remembered her promise and turned slowly, reluctantly away. "KITT, scan the house." He started to turn the knob.

"Michael, get out of there!" KITT's voice was urgent. Michael spun around and tackled Bonnie, who was still only a few feet into her retreat, knocking her flat to the ground as a shot split the air above them. They lay still momentarily, then Michael rolled off of her.

"Is there anything else, KITT?"

"No, Michael. Just the one gun set up to blast the porch when the knob was turned."

Michael sat up, regained his feet, and held out a hand to Bonnie. "Are you all right?"

"I think so," she said. She felt shaken up to her core. The blast of that shot, directly over them. She could practically still hear it.

Michael pulled her to her feet and gave her hand a squeeze. "It's okay, Bonnie. If you hear the shot, it didn't kill you. Now, go back to KITT." Without protest and with a good bit more momentum than the first time, she retreated to the car and tucked herself into the passenger's seat.

He returned to the house, and Bonnie saw the lights on KITT's dash; the car had put himself into surveillance mode and was scanning intently, tracking his partner. "I apologize, Bonnie," KITT said. "I should have realized the presence of the booby trap earlier."

She gave the dash a pat. "You still saved us, KITT." KITT and Michael together.

Michael exited the house, moving quickly now on his long legs, sprained ankle or not. He got into the driver's seat and handed her a note silently. Bonnie read it.

"Knight: If you ever want to see the woman and the kid again, you only have until 2:00 p.m. The trap is set up to go off then, and they will be killed. Good luck hunting. You'll need it."


	9. Chapter 9

Bonnie stared at the note, speechless. "What are you going to do?"

"Find them," Michael said shortly. "We should have stayed here last night on guard."

"Michael," KITT reminded him gently, "the abduction did not happen last night. You spoke to Mary Scott on the phone earlier this morning, and she was fine. You cannot guard someone 24/7, including broad daylight, and also effectively do your job. You also do require rest yourself, in fact more than you've had the last two nights."

Bonnie looked up and down the street. "Maybe somebody saw something."

Michael shook his head. "I doubt it. It's Sunday morning, not too late yet. The sleep-in crowd would still be sleeping in, the church crowd would have already left for church, and the take-a-day-trip-on-the-day-off crowd would be gone, too. It's a perfect time in a quiet neighborhood. As long as nobody screamed - and I'm sure they kept Mary silent by holding a gun on Candy - nothing to attract attention from the neighbors. Also, there would have been at least one local and a friend of Rick's with them. If anybody did see, nothing would have been suspicious." He slammed his hand down on the edge of KITT's steering wheel, and then his eyes sharpened, zoning in on some idea. "KITT, call Sheriff Benson."

That suggestion made perfect sense to Bonnie, but the ensuing conversation with the sheriff wasn't anything like the one she expected.

"Sheriff, this is Michael Knight."

The sheriff sounded surprised at this Sunday morning call from the man he had warned not even an hour earlier. "What do you want, Knight?"

"Sheriff, just listen to me for a minute. There is a plot underway to steal several corporate secrets from Computech. I'm pretty sure the new marketing director, Sanders, is the ringleader. Also a couple of locals who work there have been bought, Ben Warren and Thomas Mason. No idea who the buyer for the secrets is, but I'm almost positive that the actual theft is going to go down today. Would you please stake out Computech - from a distance, discretely - today? At least until after 2:00."

There was a stunned silence for a moment on the other end of the line. "Exactly how do you know that? How are you involved here?"

"I'm just trying to find the truth. But the people I've been on the trail of have done something now to make sure I'm occupied throughout today, at least up until 2:00. Therefore, I think this is when the deal is going down. They're trying too hard to have me tied up off their trail today."

"How do I know you aren't just distracting me from something yourself?"

Michael sighed. "Call Devon Miles at the Foundation for Law and Government. Ask him about me. Look, by late this afternoon, I promise, I'll be moving on out of town anyway. All I'm asking is that you have some people keep an eye on Computech today. Sunday is a great day for a theft at an industry, you know. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. What do you have to lose?"

"What are you going to be doing meanwhile?" Benson demanded.

"Trying to find Mary Scott and her daughter. Please, talk to Devon. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it to you and apologize in front of anybody you choose. If I'm right, you will get the credit for taking down a ring of cyberthieves. Isn't that worth a few hours of your time on a Sunday?"

There was a pause. "I'll call this Miles. But I'm also going to check him out and this Foundation, too."

"Be my guest. Thank you, Sheriff." Michael hit the button that ended the call, then stared through the windshield for a moment. "KITT, look up Ben Warren and Thomas Mason, in particular real estate holdings. Warren has a farm, I know. Does either of them own or rent any other buildings outside of town?"

Data started scrolling across the screen. "Ben Warren owns a 180-acre farm that has been in his family for generations. I find no other real estate. Thomas Mason rents a storage unit at the facility where the two men tried to kill you. He also rents a small warehouse ten miles out of town. He also drives a car which matches approximately the model of the getaway car yesterday after the attempt on you. I was unable to get the license plate yesterday, but body style and color match."

Michael nodded. "Good work, buddy. Okay, we'll start with Mason. I hope they are at his places, not on Warren's 180 acres. Less to search." He turned on the ignition. "Let's go, KITT."

Bonnie, sitting in the passenger's seat, didn't even notice this time that she again was automatically classified on the sidelines instead of in the main chase. Instead, she found herself wishing Michael and KITT speed and skill in their hunt today.


	10. Chapter 10

It was 1:15. Bonnie watched Michael's grim face as they drove around the back sections of the large ranch. Mason's rental storage space and warehouse had drawn a blank, so now they were combing Warren's ranch an acre at a time. The terrain wasn't helping them much, rough and broken, hills and ravines, limiting KITT's scanners to quite close range.

Bonnie wondered whether Mary and Candy might be held in a trap somewhere else entirely, but she didn't say so. There was no point. They didn't have time to search every square mile at random surrounding the town; if Michael's guess at the two locals involved wasn't right, or if the captives were at another point off their property, then the woman they had been trying to help and her daughter would be killed.

How could you stake everything, absolutely everything, on a guess like that? Bonnie herself would have still been wanting more information, more proof before narrowing the field of the town's population down. She would have wanted to be certain she was right with so many consequences if she were wrong. But they didn't have time. No, it had to be a bold guess or nothing.

Michael topped another hill, pushing KITT on terrain that was far from a road, and as they reached the crest, he stopped the car. Another ravine stretched out below them. "Anything, KITT?" he asked.

The screen lit up as KITT scanned. "Not definitely, Michael. There is, however, an apparent abandoned mine in the side of the hill below. I am unable to scan from this distance through the rock; there are minerals in it which are preventing fine detail. I can, however, make out the door." The screen focused in on the old door in the hillside, now a firm barricade with a sign across it. Danger.

"Then we get closer to check it out," Michael said.

Bonnie tensed up. "Down _there_? How?"

"By driving," Michael responded. He accelerated again, putting KITT on what was clearly a horse trail and meant for sure-footed horses at that. Bonnie cringed. "Don't worry," Michael snapped, a bit of the tension he was obviously feeling creeping into his tone. "If I knock KITT out of alignment, I'm sure you can fix him, even if I get a lecture while you're doing it."

"I wouldn't -" Bonnie trailed off. She did in fact give Michael plenty of lectures while she fixed KITT. Did demands like this on cases happen that regularly?

They reached the bottom after a wild drive. Bonnie had been hanging onto the dash, bracing herself. Michael, unbelievably, had been asking KITT questions all the way down, even while driving that rough track, and by the time they were on the floor of the valley, KITT had researched all information on the mine at this location. It had been a very small iron ore find 20 years ago, and Ben Warren had exhausted the lode and put in quite a bit of effort trying to find more. He finally gave up pouring money literally into a hole in the ground, and the mine had been abandoned and sealed.

KITT finished this recitation as they pulled up near the heavy door. Michael studied it. "Any booby traps if I open that, KITT?"

"I do not detect any. I would advise caution, however."

"Thanks." Michael opened the door, grabbed a flashlight from the back floorboard, and stood up, looking back over at Bonnie. "You stay here."

"I will," she promised. She had no desire to go into an old abandoned mine on a long shot. If she had definite proof Mary and Candy were there, she might have risked it, but Michael could probably do more than she could anyway. She watched him approach that sign, bright red letters against the wood. Danger. She shivered.

"I am afraid I knocked one of my circuits slightly out of alignment driving down into the valley," KITT announced. "It is a minor problem, one easily worked past, but it will need attention eventually."

"Hopefully I can do a little quick repair in town after all this is over," Bonnie replied.

"Do not blame Michael, Bonnie. Time is of the essence. He had to get down."

"I know. I won't." Michael had worked the door open by now and disappeared into the mine. "KITT, is this case - usual?"

"Fairly standard," KITT responded.

She shook her head. "How does he do this?" If this was the usual and this were her job, she would have either been killed or quit months ago.

"He is very dedicated," KITT said. "He also, fortunately, has the training from his background to enable him to do it at safely as he can. It will never be a safe job, however."

"I can see that." She sighed. "I hadn't - I guess I've just been seeing one side of it, every time he brings you back."

At that moment, Michael's voice filled the car. "Anything, KITT? Can you scan better this close with the door open?"

"I have been working on it. The trace elements in the rock still interfere somewhat." Indeed, KITT's screen had been active even during his conversation with Bonnie. She sat there tensely, watching that black square in the hillside that had, like a giant mouth, swallowed Michael. Had it swallowed Candy and Mary, too?

"Michael, there is a branching tunnel to your left shortly ahead. There might be readings up there a few hundred feet. Unfortunately, I'm unable to be precise, and the readings are faint. It could just be an animal."

"I'm on it," Michael said. "Thanks, KITT."

An animal. Bonnie sat there wondering what kind of animals might live in deserted mines. Rats? Maybe even a mountain lion if another entrance had been found somewhere. Were there bears in this region?

"They're here!" Michael's voice was triumphant. "Hang on. I'll get you loose, but I'm going to have to do it carefully so as not to trip things. KITT, what's the time?"

"Ten minutes, Michael," KITT replied.

There was a tense silence. Bonnie began counting off seconds herself, even though she didn't have to, because KITT had a steadily decreasing timer on his screen now. Five minutes. Three minutes. Two minutes.

"Got it! Candy, climb on my back. Now, let's run!"

Bonnie sat there waiting, watching. Several hundred feet in a low passageway in the dark complete with intersections. 30 seconds. 20 seconds. They appeared at the door to the mine, Mary running full speed, Michael obviously holding back to keep pace with her, Candy on his back. KITT scooted forward to meet them, doors opening, and they were barely in the car before the doors closed and KITT made his fastest reverse.

BOOM! The blast shook the entire hillside. Thick dust billowed out from the mine, and then the passageway collapsed. When they could see again, there was no longer a black mouth into the hill, just a tightly packed pile of rubble.

Michael let out a deep breath and turned to the back seat, where Mary was clutching Candy, both of them looking shaken to the core. "We made it!" he announced.

Candy was the first of the two to stir. She smiled and reached forward, clutching his arm. "Thank you, Michael, for saving us again."

He smiled back at her. "You're welcome."


	11. Chapter 11

They sat around Mary's living room, drinking hot tea. Candy had kept clinging to her mother, but she was slowly starting to relax, her eyes even drifting closed now, worn out from the events of this day.

Bonnie spoke very softly, keeping an eye on the six-year-old. "If you need any help with counseling or such for a while, either for you or for Candy, the Foundation can assist with that. I'll give you the card with the number."

Mary looked grateful. "Thank you." Her voice was just as soft. "I was more worried for her than me. All the hours tied up to that bomb in the dark, she was terrified, of course. The men had told us that if we yelled, that would set it off. She was trying to be quiet and brave, but she's only six. I kept telling her you'd find us."

Michael looked more angry now than he had back during the crisis. "They were lying. Sound wouldn't have set that one off. They did have it rigged pretty well against someone trying to get you loose, but there was no reason to keep quiet." He clenched his teeth. "Dispatch when I called said that Sheriff Benson was unavailable, but they would pass along the message. Hopefully he's unavailable because he's down at Computech catching everybody."

"Do you think this is over?" Mary asked. Her voice was a little shaky as she looked down at her daughter, sound asleep against her now.

"Yes," Michael said. "It's over, Mary. And with your testimony, there is no chance that these people are getting off. You can nail them on kidnapping and on confessing to the murder, and hopefully Benson can get them on corporate theft."

Bonnie shifted over to the couch next to the other woman. "It's over, Mary," she confirmed. She slid an arm around her, giving her a hug.

Mary shivered. "Warren and Mason were actually bragging about how they set that wreck up. Fortunately, Candy didn't really understand that part. They just called him my old man." She leaned into Bonnie.

At that moment, Michael's commlink beeped. "Yeah, KITT, what is it?"

"The police just arrived, Michael."

"Thanks, buddy." Michael stood up and walked to the window, looking out. "Benson in person." He looked back at the women on the couch with the sleeping child, then said, "I'll find out." He closed the front door softly on his way out, though he still looked mad.

"It's all over, Mary," Bonnie repeated. "It's okay."

Mary shook her head. "They _killed_ Rick. They actually killed him. Over some stupid high-tech secret. That's not worth somebody's life!" Candy shifted as her tone rose on the end, and Mary immediately quieted back down.

"I know. It's not. Again, if you need any kind of help, just let the Foundation know. It's going to be tough, and I'm not minimizing that, but you and Candy are going to make it through everything."

"Yes. Thanks, Bonnie. Michael is amazing, but sometimes, it just helps to talk with another woman."

"You can call me, too, if you want, and we can talk. I'll give you my number." Bonnie surprised herself with the offer. She wasn't much for keeping up with people usually, being more focused with her work. The reunion that she was heading to would have plenty of people that she hadn't seen or talked to in years. She had even considered skipping it and working instead, and it was Devon who had urged her to take the time off in the first place, saying she needed a vacation.

But this was the real work of the Foundation, she realized. People. Not just technology, but people. That was the goal of her job, the goal of Michael's job, the purpose of KITT. And she was part of it, felt more a part of it today than she ever had. The satisfaction of seeing KITT perform in the field to that end and of putting faces to the people helped surpassed any pride she had ever had on a breakthrough in the lab. She really was interested in keeping up with Mary. "I mean it," she said with total sincerity.

"Thanks." Mary looked toward the front window. "Wonder what they're talking about."

"We'll find out soon enough," Bonnie told her.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Michael reentered. "Everything's okay," he reassured her up front. "Benson will talk to you himself when he can, but we didn't want to wake up Candy. They caught everybody at Computech, including the buyers."

"And Mason and Warren?"

"Yes, they were there to get their cut. They didn't really trust the others - with reason. And they wanted their share as soon as the money was exchanged. Benson had enough sense to put them in several different squad cars on the way to jail, and Mason and Warren are both already trying to make a deal. Between them, they've confessed to everything. Of course, they're minimizing their own parts, but they'll make good witnesses. It's over. And Benson said to tell you that he's sorry, and he will contact the life insurance company tomorrow morning himself when they open and send them a revised accident report."

Mary smiled for the first time that day. It was a weak smile, but it was there. "Thank you, Michael. Thank you, Bonnie. I guess you've got to go now."

"Yeah, we really need to hit the road. Oh, one other thing, Mary." He paused long enough to get her full attention. "I was thinking. The next assignment I've got involves the art community. There's a gallery that had a painting stolen, and I'm supposed to track it down. But this owner is connected. If you would let me, I could take along one or two of your paintings to show her. No guarantees. But it would be getting an expert opinion, and if she likes your work, maybe she'd be interested in selling some of it for you."

Mary stared at him, stunned into speechlessness for a moment. Then she jumped up off the couch and seized him in a fierce hug. "Thank you, Michael. That's not enough for everything, but thank you."

Candy stirred and sat up on the couch. "What's going on?"

"Good things, Candy. Come here. Would you like to help me pick out the favorite ones on my paintings?"

"Okay." Candy stood up. "Are you going to start painting again?"

"Yes. Come on; let's see what we can find." The two headed back down the hall to a room, and as the door to it opened, Bonnie wondered if Mary had even been in that room since Rick's death.

She stood up from the couch herself. "That's a good idea, Michael."

"No guarantees, but hopefully it will turn into something for her. Thanks for talking to her, Bonnie. I hadn't thought of the counseling."

"They'll probably need it after all this. But I think they are going to be all right."

"Yes, they are." He looked at his watch. "We really do have to hit the road soon."

"I know. I'm going to need to take a quick look at KITT first, though. He knocked a circuit out of alignment today."

Michael sighed. "Great. And the day was ending so well up until then. All right, Bonnie, let me have it."

"No."

He looked at her. "No?"

"No. No lecture."

He studied her, gauging her sincerity, then slowly started to smile. "Thanks, Bonnie."

"Thank you, Michael. This trip has been - educational."

At that moment, Mary and Candy came back down the hall with three paintings, the enthusiasm of the six-year-old nearly matched by her mother, and they all gathered for a vote.

(KR)

Bonnie woke up, disoriented at first, thinking she heard music. Then she remembered; KITT was driving through the night toward their destination, making up time, and Bonnie and Michael were asleep, using the car as a motel room. She looked around the cabin. KITT had the windows darkened, and almost no light came in from passing traffic outside. She could just see Michael in the glow from the dash lights. He was asleep with the seat reclined. But yes, she did hear music, soft, soothing classical, obviously KITT's selection. Michael probably wouldn't be caught dead listening to this stuff.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie." KITT spoke very softly. "Did the music wake you?"

She kept her voice pitched low as well, glancing over at Michael again, but he didn't stir. "I don't think so. I think I just woke up. It confused me for a minute, though, when I was trying to remember where I was. I'm not used to sleeping in you. Are you having a private concert to yourself?" She smiled at the thought.

"No," KITT replied. After a moment, he said, "However, I do sometimes. At times when I am parked and waiting, I will listen to my own musical selections. I find it very relaxing."

"It is nice." She leaned back into the seat again. "Just don't let him catch you at it. He'd tease you."

"Yes, he would," KITT agreed.

She studied the man in the other seat, thinking of all the revelations of the past few days, and it took her a while to realize that KITT had changed the subject a minute ago. "Wait. What do you mean you weren't having a private concert? We were both asleep. If this isn't a private concert, what is it?"

The silence extended for several seconds, and then KITT replied. "Do not mention this to him, Bonnie. I don't mind him teasing me, or even teasing him myself on trivialities, but I have no wish to make _him_ uncomfortable. Not on serious subjects."

"Mention what?" she asked.

KITT's voice dropped even lower, and she had to sit up again to hear at all. "He has dreams at times. Bad dreams. I track his vitals through the nights, and when he seems to be getting trapped in unpleasant dreams, I play him some music softly. It seems to help relax him. I have never asked what he dreams about, but I think it's safe to assume that classical music isn't part of them, and introducing that on a low level can help sometimes to lead him out of whatever he was experiencing. If my sensors detect he is starting to wake up, I stop it before he realizes what I was doing."

Bonnie looked over at Michael again. "He seems to be sleeping totally soundly."

KITT's screen lit up. "This was 15 minutes ago." She studied the unmistakable evidence of the figures. No, whatever that dream was, it wasn't a pleasant one. "And this is what happened after the music started." KITT scrolled through the readings at an accelerated rate, but the pattern was clear. The music did seem to reach Michael and start to calm him down. The moving readout finally stopped. "And this is now," KITT concluded.

The numbers were still somewhat higher than she would have suspected from looking at him, but they had improved greatly. She shook her head. "I never would have guessed." So much was hidden. She had seen so many new aspects of Michael during the last two days. Yet the impatient, brash, obnoxious maverick who could get on her nerves and even did it deliberately once in a while, that was also Michael. "There's more to him than on the surface."

"Much more," KITT agreed. "I made the same quick negative judgment, Bonnie. On our first case, I did not like him initially. I didn't want to be his partner. I had no choice by programming, but I didn't want to be. He felt the same about me at first. But the more time you spend with him, the more he grows on you, and you realize the quality of him. By this point, I consider him my closest friend, and I know the feeling is mutual. Wilton Knight, I think, had clearer vision than any of us, and he knew what he was doing in selecting Michael. He is a good man, Bonnie."

She couldn't deny that, thinking of all she'd seen since they left the Foundation on their cross-country trip. "Yes," she agreed. "He is. But he still can be annoying sometimes." But there was a new note of respect beneath her often-expressed frustration.

"Oh, definitely," KITT agreed. "He is stubborn to a fault, impatient, has questionable tastes - but he is a good man."

She glanced at her watch. It was still the middle of the night, and she leaned back in the seat and let her eyes close again. "Good night, KITT," she said.

"Good night," KITT replied.

The music carried her back into rest.


End file.
